Safeco Field signage was removed from the ballpark’s roof on Friday, as the original naming-rights deal for the home of the Seattle Mariners has expired.
Safeco Insurance and the Mariners originally announced their naming-rights partnership in June 1998, a little more than a year before the ballpark opened, with the agreement running for 20 years. That pact ran through the 2018 season, but it has been known for some time that the ballpark’s name is set for a change, as the two sides announced in June 2017 that their agreement would not be renewed.
That effectively allows the Mariners to obtain a new naming-rights partner. While the club has not announced a new agreement to date, construction crews were at the ballpark on Friday to begin the process of removing the Safeco Field signage from the ballpark’s roof. More from the Seattle Times:
But while the name is going, the Mariners are staying; the King County Council approved $135 million in public funds for stadium improvements and upkeep in September. The Mariners have yet to announce a new naming-rights partner.
Safeco Field has been the ballpark’s only name since it opened in 1999.
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